TIPS
TO
TEACHERS
csrcsrs
TIPS TB TEACHERS
By Adeline Mc C a 1 1_
CONTENTS
How to Make Your Children's Concert a Success 2
Little Symphony Children's Concert Program 1976 - 1977 4
The Two Songs 5
Notes on the Children's Program
OVERTURE - Mozart 8
LA PAIX from "Royal Fireworks Music" 11
THE PERCUSSION SCORE 12
THE BIRDS - Respighi 17
SUITE from "Louisiana Story" - Thomson 21
SUITE No. 2 for Small Orchestra - Stravinsky 23
Finger Painting
Movement a.nd Music
26
28
Instruments of the Orchestra 30
Sources of Percussion and Melody Instruments
32
r
HOW TO MAKE YOUR EHIbBREN'S
EQNEERT A SUEEESS
1. Be sure that principals, teachers, and school administrators
have the date and the hour of the children's concert set in
their schedules well in advance.
2. Arrange for a director of transportation to work out bus
schedules .
3. Make a seating plan and send duplicate copies to all schools.
4. Study the children's concert program and order the
instrumental recordings from the North Carolina Symphony
Office. Also, order enough Symphony Stories for each child
to have his own copy.
Address : North Carolina Symphony
Department of Education
Post Office Box 28026
Raleigh, North Carolina 27611
5. Notify your schools to urge all librarians to take part in
preparing children for the North Carolina Symphony concert
by :
Circulating Symphony recordings.
Showing filmstrips and telling stories related
to the program.
Placing books and pictures about composers and
the instruments of the orchestra on display.
Encouraging children's original art work.
GET STARTED EARLY
1. Allow time in your schedule for children to hear the recordings
many times.
2. Teach the two songs which children must memorize to sing
at the concert :
FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH 3 stanzas
OH! SUSANNA 2 stanzas
3. Select an instrumental group and teach them to play Oh!
SUSANNA, following the instructions in Symphony Stories with
the recording of LA PAIX from Handel's "Royal Fireworks
Music." Recording : Vanguard SRV - 209 SD. This was
purchased for last year's program.
- 2 -
THE PERCUSSION SCORE IS FOR CLASSROOM USE ONLY.
ENCOURAGE A VARIETY OF MUSICAL ACTIVITIES IN YOUR CLASSROOM, such as
1. Learning to recognize the orchestral instruments by sight
and sound.
2. Viewing filmstrips and films related to the symphony
orchestra .
3. Reading books and stories about the orchestra and its in-
struments .
4. Making a seating chart and constructing model symphony
orchestra players.
5. Collecting materials for bulletin board displays.
6. Painting murals, posters, pictures, making puppets and
puppet stage.
7. Learning about composers; writing stories and plays related
to their music.
8. Discussing and writing impressions of the music before and
after the concert.
9. Creating free movement, dancing to the music.
10. Making illustrated "symphony" notebooks.
- 3 -
THE NORTH CAROLINA LITTLE SYMPHONY Season 1976 - 1977
John Gosling, Artistic Director/Conductor
James Edwin Ogle, Jr., Assistant Conductor
Benjamin F. Swalin, Conductor Emeritus
PROGRAM
MOZART
HANDEL
Overture (To be announced)
La Paix from "Royal Fireworks
Music"
Recordings
None
Vanguard SRV - 209
SD (Purchased
last year)
CONRAD KOCHER SONG: For the Beauty of the Earth
Children sing three stanzas
RESPIGHI
Suite - "The Birds" (Gli Uccelli) London CS 6624
Prelude (Preludio)
The Nightingale (L' Usignuolo)
The Hen (La Gallina)
THOMSON
Suite - "Louisiana Story"
Chorale
STEPHEN FOSTER SONG: Oh! Susannah
Children's Instrumental Group plays
first stanza
Children sing two stanzas as printed
in Symphony Stories
Suite No. 2 for Small Orchestra
Marche
Valse
Polka
Galop
Demonstration of Instruments
Turnabout TVS 34534
STRAVINSKY
Columbia M 31729
Surprise numbers to be announced at concert
- 4 -
THE TWO SQNGS
AT THE CONCERT THE CHILDREN WILL SING TWO SONGS WITH THE
ORCHESTRA
Both songs are printed in Symphony Stories .
The words of the songs are to be memorized.
Do not bring words or music to the concert.
Tell children to watch the conductor for the signal to stand.
The orchestra will play an introduction before each song.
Children should not start singing until the conductor gives
the signal. Success in singing together in a large hall will
be assured if you will stress the importance of listening, and
WATCHING THE CONDUCTOR THROUGHOUT THE SONG .
The conductor will indicate by his baton movements any changes
he wishes to make
in TEMPO (Faster or slower) or
in DYNAMICS (Louder or softer).
In your classroom before the concert help your singers to
start together on the first note by practicing the attack.
Give them a preparatory beat to insure a "clean" attack.
1. FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH
This hymn of praise is a universal favorite. It should
be sung as smoothly as possible. Keep a legato line
throughout, with dynamic chan ges^ as indic ated below:
For the Beauty of the ear thy For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth Over and around us
Lord of all to Thee we raise This our hymn of grateful
praise.
Meter: 4/4 J = 96
Count four in each measure.
\
Conduct
Preparatory beat is on "Four." Song starts on
downbeat "One. " I
MEMORIZE ALL THREE STANZAS
- 5 -
OH ! SUSANNA
This song by the American composer, Stephen Foster, has been
played and sung for nearly a century. It is loved by the
people of our country, and it has traveled abroad. Like
many of Stephen Foster's songs it has the appeal of a folk
song, and seems to call for a banjo or guitar accompaniment,
and for dancing. Before your children sing two stanzas of
Oh! Susanna a selected instrumental group from your schools
will be asked to play the song through once.
Meter: 2/4 J = 92
Count two in each measure. Conduct
Jf
Preparatory beat is "One." Song starts on
last half of
4
"Second beat. "
f*.
Instructions for the Instrumental Group:
1. Use only the instruments indicated in Symphony Stories 3
WINDS - Recorders, tonettes, flutes, clarinets (Key of G),
and other small winds. No brass instruments .
BELLS - Melody bells, xylophones, marimbas and resonator
or tone bells.
VIOLINS
AUTOHARPS
2. The children chosen to take part in the instrumental group
should be rehearsed ahead of time - WITHOUT A PIANO.
3. The music must be memorized.
4. If players from a number of schools are included, the
music teacher or supervisor should go from school to school,
rehearsing each group in exactly the same way, at the same
tempo. Please make it clear that the players will be
"on their own" at the concert, and in order to keep
together they will have to watch the director and listen
carefully .
- 6 -
The autoharp players should keep a firm, steady beat
throughout. As a signal to start the autoharps will sound
two strong F - chords, in strict tempo.
AUTOHARP CHORDS
F
r f c 7
F
f f a | F :
B>
8> f £'
F
F F£ 7 F
- 7 -
NOTES QN THE PROGRAM
In planning your listening lessons for the year, you may want
to allot some time to helping your children become better
acquainted with a few of the popular overtures often heard on
concert programs. Your library may already have recordings of
overtures to check out for classroom use. The best source
(on one recording) is the Bowmar Orchestral Library album
entitled OVERTURES (BOL # 76). This may be ordered from
• Bowmar, 622 Rodier Drive, Glendale, California, 91201. It
includes the following:
OVERTURE TO "THE BAT" (Die Fledermaus) by Strauss
ACADEMIC FESTIVAL OVERTURE by Brahms
OVERTURE TO "THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO" by Mozart
ROMAN CARNIVAL OVERTURE by Berlioz
MORE ABOUT WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
Most children in the elementary schools have heard Mozart's
music, have read or been told about Mozart as a child and
perhaps can identify him as a composer belonging to the
eighteenth century. But there is so much to know and absorb
about this genius, whose life was cut short at the age of
thirty-five, that teachers will do well to broaden their
information, and inspire their students to explore Mozart
in greater depth. As a starter, you might see how many of
your children are familiar with the following facts:
1. Wolfgang Mozart (Volfgahng Mot-sahrt) was born in
Salzburg, Austria, January 27, 1756. Father Mozart
carried his tiny son to church on a birrerly cold day
to have him baptized.
2. When Wolfgang was five years old, he composed his
first piece - a little minuet.
3. Mozart's father, Leopold, took Wolfgang and his sister,
Nannerl, to many great cities in Europe where they
gave concerts for kings and queens.
4. As a stunt, Wolfgang played the harpsichord with a
cloth stretched over the keys.
5. The Austrian Emperor called him "a little magician."
6. Wolfgang and Nannerl were both taught by their father,
who was an excellent violinist and a composer as well.
8 -
7. Mozart learned to play the violin, the organ, the
clavichord, harpsichord and piano.
8. Mozart wrote forty-nine symphonies, the first one at
the age of eight.
9. Mozart wrote his musical scores very rapidly without
making any changes.
10. Mozart was noted for his clear neat handwriting.
11. Mozart had a rather large head, an important looking
nose and big blue eyes.
12. Mozart loved beautiful clothes and fine jewelry.
13. After his marriage to Constance Weber, the Mozarts
lived in Vienna.
14. In Vienna Mozart wrote "contradanses" or country dances
for the public festivals. These dances were popular
in Europe at the time George Washington was president
of the United States.
15. Mozart enjoyed pleasant company and liked to dance,
bowl, and play billiards.
16. The Mozarts were at times very poor and their two
little sons were often cold and hungry.
17. Mozart's son, Wolfgang Amadeus , named for his father,
became a talented pianist and composer, and made his
living as a music teacher.
18. As a young man Mozart was a friend of the composer,
Joseph Haydn, who was twenty- four years older than he.
19. Mozart's greatest opera, "Don Giovanni," was produced
in Prague four years before he died.
20. Every summer, in Mozart's native city of Salzburg,
there is a music festival held in his honor. Tourists
from all over the world come to hear the music of this
renowned composer.
FURTHER INFORMATION ON M0ZART"S LIFE AND MUSIC
BOOKS
Kaufmann, Helen L.
Mirsky, Reba Paeff
Wheeler, Opal &
Deucher, Sybil
THE STORY OF MOZART
MOZART
MOZART THE WONDER BOY (a
classic for children to
read)
Grossett, 1955
Follett, 1960
Dutton, 1943
- 9
Woodford, Peggy MOZART Walck, 1966
COLOR FILMSTRIPS
WOLFGANG MOZART PLAYS FOR THE KING AND QUEEN by Adeline McCall
No. 638 - 1 from the series, "Musical Adventures" Singer -
Society for Visual Education, Inc., 1345 Diversey Parkway,
Chicago, Illinois 60614.
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART No. 4 from the series, "Great Composers
and Their Music" Jam Handy - Scott Educational Division, The
Jam Handy Organization, 5 Lower Westfield Road, Holyoke,
Massachusetts 01040.
THE MAGIC FLUTE from the series, "Opera and Ballet Stories"
Jam Handy - Scott Educational Division (Address above).
BOOKBOX STUDY UNIT - MOZART. Includes recording, charts,
pictures for display. Keyboard Publications, 1346 Chapel
Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06511.
- 10 -
LA PAIX from "Royal Fireworks Music" Recording: Vanguard
George Frideric Handel SRV-209 SD
1685-1759 (Purchased last year)
George Frideric Handel, the German composer who went to London,
was commissioned by King George II of England to write music
for a great peace celebration in Green Park. It was 1749 and
a long European war had just ended with the signing of the
treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. A spectacular fireworks display
was being planned. Since the music was to be played outdoors
Handel's score included 40 trumpets, 20 horns, 16 oboes, 16
bassoons, a contra bassoon, a serpent, 8 pairs of kettledrums,
12 side drums, flutes and fifes as well as a complete string
section .
As originally written, the "Royal Fireworks Music" consisted
of an Overture, to be played before the fireworks display
started, and five short movements: 1) Bourree; 2) Largo alia
Siciliana (La Paix); 3) Allegro (La Rejouissance) ; 4) Minuet
I and 5) Minuet II. At last year's children's concert the
Orchestra played La Rejouissance and the two Minuets. This
year's program will feature LA PAIX, a quiet number for strings
and a few wind instruments in the style of a Siciliano .
The Siciliano is a 17th - 18th century dance type of Sicilian
origin. It is in very moderate 6/8 or 12/8 meter, usually
with a flowing, broken chord accompaniment and a soft lyrical
melody with dotted rhythms. Sometimes it is used as a slow
movement in early sonatas. It also appears in operas and
cantatas whenever soft rural scenes are to be described.
Handel's LA PAIX (The Peace) meets this description of the
Siciliano completely.
The score of LA PAIX calls for two clarinets, a bassoon, two horns,
flutes, oboes, bassoons and violins, viola, cello and bass.
The form is traditional - A A B B - eight measures repeated,
followed by another eight measures repeated. Children should
familiarize themselves with the music by listening many times
before attempting to play the percussion score (See the outside
back cover of Symphony Stories) . Directions for teaching
children how to play the percussion score follow.
- 11 -
THE PERCUSSION SEQRE
The percussion score on the outside back cover of Symphony
Stories is to be played with the recording of LA PAIX from
Handel's "Royal Fireworks Music" (Vanguard S R V - 209 SD).
ENJOY THIS CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE BY PLAYING ALONG WITH YOUR
CH I LDREN . Do not bring percussion instruments to the concert
TEACHING PROCEDURES :
1. Play the recording a number of times for listening only.
2. Looking at the score, explain the meter - 6/8. There are
six eighth notes in each measure - two groups of three
JJ7 m
3. Since the tempo is slow, you can count 1 2 3 4 5 6 and let
the children try "conducting" the music in the traditional
way: £
4. Clap the first beat in each measure, then let the children
learn to clap the note values written for each part.
Practice these patterns first:
-01 m j. i *t)\*m >rm\
5. See that you have all the required percussion instruments
in place - one for each child - ahead of time:
DRUMS TAMBOURINES STICKS MARACAS JINGLE BELLS
TRIANGLES FINGER CYMBALS
(Wood blocks may be used instead of sticks)
- 12 -
MORE ABOUT GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL *
Children who attended last year's concert may wish to refer to their
Symphony Stories for information about the "Royal Fireworks Music."
Fire broke out after the Overture was played, and Handel's musicians
had to run for their lives. Some time later the music was performed
at a benefit concert to raise money for a Foundling Hospital in
London .
You might want to review a few facts about Handel to stimulate
your children to read books and see filmstrips relating to his life:
1. George Frideric Handel was born in Halle, Germany, in 1685,
the same year in which Johann Sebastian Back was born.
2. When George was a little boy he ran away from home, follow-
ing a group of street musicians.
3. George's father did not want his son to have anything to
do with music - much less become a musician.
4. The boy loved music so much that his aunt Anna gave him a
small harpsichord, which was hidden away in the attic for
secret practicing.
5. Handel's father was a surgeon for the Duke's Court not far
from Halle.
6. On one of the doctor's trips to the Court, George ran
after his coach. His father had to stop the horses and take
the boy in.
7. The organist at the Duke's Chapel discovered the boy's talent
and allowed him to play the organ.
8. After the Duke heard George playing in the chapel he
ordered Dr. Handel to give his son music lessons.
9. When Handel grew up he became a famous musician, and went
to England to live.
10. He became the idol of the London public and was a guest
of honor everywhere.
11. When Handel's former employer, the Elector of Hanover,
became George I, King of England, he was too German to
please the English taste. In order to gain popularity
he appointed Handel as palace chapel master.
12. Handel taught music to the children of the Prince of
Wales, and wrote his first Suite for Harpsichord for
Princess Anne.
- 13 -
13. Handel wrote many operas which were well loved by the
English audiences.
14. The oratorio, Messiah , considered by some critics to
be Handel's masterpiece, was first performed in Dublin.
It is sung in many American cities every year.
15. Handel became blind in his last years, but he was still
able to play the organ.
16. When Handel died, he was buried in Westminister Abbey.
This was the highest honor England could pay to the
world-famous composer.
* Note : There are various spellings for Handel's first name. From
the different possibilities Handel himself adopted the
English form:
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL
- 14 -
FURTHER INFORMATION ON HANDEL'S LIFE AND WORK
BOOKS
Berk, Phyllis L.
Flower , Newman
DUKE'S COMMAND (children)
Lantern Press,
354 Hussey Road
Mt. Vernon, N.Y. 10552
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL: His Scribner, 1948
Personality and His Times -
A Friendly Biography based
on extensive research
Rolland, Romain
Sadie, Stanley
Wheeler, Opal
Young, Percy M.
Young, Percy M.
HANDEL
HANDEL (Great Composer
Series )
HANDEL: AT THE COURT OF
KINGS (A classic
biography for children)
HANDEL
HANDEL
(A reference book, inc-
luding a calendar of
Handel's life, catalog of
compositions, etc.
Illustrated)
Garden City, 1971
Crowell, 1969
Dutton, 1943
D. White, 1967
Pellegrini, 1949
COLOR FILMSTRIPS
GEORGE HANDEL AND HIS SPINET by Adeline McCall--Correlated
narration & music No. 683 - 2 from the series, "Musical Adventures."
Singer - Society for Visual Education, Inc., 1345 Diversey Parkway,
Chicago, Illinois 60614
THE STORY OF HANDEL'S MESSIAH, No. 860 - 5R with narration and
music, symphony orchestra & Choral Union, Northwestern University -
Same publisher, address above.
GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL from the Series, Great Composers and Their
Music, correlated narration and music. Scott Education Division,
Jam Handy Lower Westfield Road, Holyoke, Massachusetts. 01040
FILMS
GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL. United World, 10 minutes, black & white.
Introduced by Handel's struggle to study music, a boys' choir
sings from "Messiah," and an orchestra plays "Largo."
- 15 -
HANDEL AND HIS MUSIC. Coronet. 13 minutes, color. Handel and the
development of baroque music, with selections from "Messiah."
BOOKBOX STUDY UNIT - GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL
Includes recording, charts, pictures for display.
Young Keyboard Publications, 1346 Chapel Street, New Haven,
Connecticut. 06511
- 16 -
THE BIRDS (Gli Uccelli) Recording : London
Suite for Small Orchestra CS6624
Prelude (Preludio)
The Nightingale (L' Usignuolo )
The Hen (La Gallina)
Ottorino Respighi
1879-1936
At the beginning of the twentieth century a group of young
Italian composers dedicated themselves to restoring the
traditions of instrumental music that had been established in
the 17th century by Corelli, Scarlatti, Vivaldi, Tartini and
others. Due to the tremendous development of opera in Italy,
symphonic and chamber music had suffered a decline. The
leader of the new movement for the advancement of instrumental
music was Ottorino Respighi, a gifted violinist, violist, and
teacher of composition. His orchestral works, "The Fountains
of Rome" and "The Pines of Rome" made him world-famous but
he had other successes with operas, concertos, and with works
for chamber orchestras.
THE BIRDS (Gli Uccelli) is a Suite for Small Orchestra based
on the music of old masters of the 17th century - Jean-Phillipe
Rameau, Bernardo Pasquini, Jacques de Gallot, and an anonymous
English composer. The score calls for flutes, oboe, clarinets,
bassoons, horns, trombones, celeste, and strings. There are
five movements including a prelude. Each of the four movements
is named for a bird: "The Dove" (Jacques de Gallot); "The
Hen" (Jean-Phillipe Rameau); "The Nightingale" (Anonymous);
and "The Cuckoo" (Bernardo Pasquini). At your children's
concert the Orchestra will play three numbers from the Suite.
Prelude (Preludio)
from Bernardo Pasquini (1637-1710)
Meter - 4/4 Moderately fast (A steady march rhythm)
With some help the form of the Prelude can be analyzed
by your children after listening:
A - 13 measures concluding with a retard (Clap the meter
4/4)
B - 3/4 meter 15 measures, introducing themes of the
hen and the cuckoo
C - 3/8 meter 44 measures, introducing bird trills in a
stately dance
Interlude - 5 measures - 4/4 meter (a bridge to A)
A - 13 measures concluding with a retard (Same as first
A section)
The music of the Prelude is ideally suited to creative
dance movement. There are changes in mood, meter,
dynamics and style to express in dancing.
Note: Bernardo Pasquini was born in Tuscany, December 8,
1637 and died in Rome on November 22, 1710. He was a
- 17 -
famous organist and composed operas, oratorios and
harpsichord pieces.
II. The Nightingale (L'Usignuolo) from Anonymous English
composer 17th century
The mood of this charming piece suggests a quiet
garden with a dreamlike bird song. Enjoy listening
without too much analyzing. Play the nightingale
theme (in Symphony Stories) on the piano. You might
also play the pedal point which is heard underneath
(two octaves below middle C). The contrabasses play
this in the orchestra.
III. The Hen (La Gallina) from Jean-Phillipe Rameau
(1683-1764)
This movement opens with the unmistakable sound of a
crackling hen. (See the theme in Symphony Stories and
play it on the piano). Some children will enjoy
dramatizing a barnyard scene, and making up "hen" move-
ments. If your school library has Saint-Saens' "Carnival
Animals" play the band on the recording entitled Hens
and Cocks . What art activities might be suggested?
For ideas on children's art see the color filmstrip:
(CARNIVAL OF ANIMALS, EAV SE 8019 - Educational Audio-
Visual, Pleasantville, New York 10570)
NOTE : Jean-Phillipe Rameau was born at Dijon in 1683 and died
in Paris in 1764. His father was organist of Dijon
Cathedral. At seven the child could read any piece of
harpsichord music given him to play. But he would read
nothing else and his headmaster had him removed from
school. When he was eighteen he travelled all over
Italy, then went around France with a troupe of actors.
He was an organist in several French towns, ending up
in Paris, where he became a successful and fashionable
harpsichord teacher. Rameau wrote many operas and
ballets. Recognizing him as important in the history
of French music, Louis XV gave him an appointment at
court and a pension.
BIRD MUSIC
It is surprising to learn that a great many composers
have written music based on bird songs. If you are
interested in finding out more about bird music read the
article in The Oxford Companion to Music , 9th Edition,
by Percy A. Scholes, pages 107-112.
- 18 -
MORE ABOUT OTTORINO RESPIGHI
1. Ottorino Respighi was born in Bologna on July 9, 1879 and
died in Rome on April 18, 1936.
2. He came from a musical family: his grandfather was a
violinist and organist in a Bologna church; his father taught
piano and gave his son lessons.
3. Ottorino studied violin for eight years at the Liceo, and
was graduated in 1899 with a diploma in violin playing.
4. He also studied composition with Luigi Torchi . His
Symphonic Variations was performed at the Lieso Musicale
of Bologna - his first public recognition.
5. Later he went to Russia where he played viola in the St.
Petersburg Opera House, and studied orchestration with
Rimsky-Korsakof f .
6. He was given a diploma in composition for an orchestral work,
Prelude, Chorale, and Fugue .
7. He left Russia in two years and went to Berlin to study
composition with Max Bruch. He also taught piano in a
private school.
8. Respighi returned to Italy to become professor of
composition at the Saint Cecilia Academy in Rome in 1913.
He became director ten years later.
9. Respighi ' s first major success as a composer was achieved
with the performance of his symphonic poem, Fountain of Rome ,
on March 11, 1917. Toscanini conducted it three times
the following year, helping to make it one of the most
successful works to come from a young Italian composer.
10. Another symphonic poem, Pines of Rome , completed in 1924,
became very popular and added to his fame.
11. The Birds was written in 1928 and in the same year he
produced another symphonic poem, Roman Festivals .
12. Respighi visited the United States for the first time in
1925. He appeared as pianist with the New York Philharmonic
Orchestra in his Concerto in the Mixolydian Mode . He also
played with other major American orchestras, and later, in
1928, attended the premiere of his opera, The Sunken Bell ,
at the Metropolitan Opera House.
13. Respighi was interested in using church modes and Georgian
chants in his compositions. An example of this can be
heard in his orchestral work, Church Windows. Koussevitsky
gave the first performance of Church Windows with the
Boston Symphony.
- 19 -
14. In 1932 Respighi was made a member of the Royal Academy
of Italy.
15. Four years later he had a heart attack and was confined
to bed. He was able to work on his last opera, Lucrezia ,
which was nearly completed when he died. His wife, who
had been a former pupil of his in composition, finished
the score.
16. As Italy's most famous composer, Respighi was given an
impressive funeral, attended by the King, Premier Mussolini,
and many prominent musicians. The music was a funeral Mass
by Palestrina.
17. Respighi ' s body was later transferred to his native city,
Bologna, where it was buried with an elaborate ceremony,
honoring him with other great men of Bologna's historical
past .
FURTHER SUGGESTIONS
On the same recording with The Bird s you will find Fountains of
Rome and Pines of Rome . If you have time to explore Fountains
the use of a filmstrip will be helpful (E A V No. SE 8013
Respighi FOUNTAINS OF ROME. Order from Educational Audio Visual
Inc., Pleasantville , N.Y. 10570) Children usually enjoy
"Pines of the Appian Way" from Pines of Rome . (Described on
the record jacket.)
- 20 -
LOUISIANA STORY - Suite
Chorale
Virgil Thomson
1896-
Recording :
Turnabout
TV-S 34534
CHORALE is from one of two concert suites prepared by Virgil
Thomson from the musical score of the motion picture,
"Louisiana Story." The film by Robert Flaherty is a semi-
documentary, depicting the industrialization of an unspoiled
rural area in southwestern Louisiana. This bayou country, at
the mouth of the Missippi River, inhabited by French-speaking
Acadians ('Cajuns') proved to be a rich source of native French
folk songs which Virgil Thomson wove skillfully into his music.
In Virgil Thomson's book, "Virgil Thomson" (Knopf, 1966), he
describes the financial difficulties and delays in procuring
an adequate budget from Standard Oil Company of New Jersey,
subsidizers of the project. Once the sound track was made by
the superb musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra, under the
direction of Eugene Ormandy, it was nominated for an "Oscar."
However, it failed to get the Film Academy award because the
engineers had not "sweetened the line." As Virgil Thomson
explains, this is a trick used in Hollywood to make the first
violin part stand out like a solo, with much vibrato. He goes
on to say that he did receive a Pulitzer Award, the only one
yet given for a film score.
The story of the film centers around the reactions of the people
to the drilling of oil wells and to the adverntures of a little
boy with a pet raccoon. CHORALE, the second of the four
sections of the Suite, describes the boy playing with his
raccoon in the top of a tree and sighting the arrival of a
drill barge. The music is composed of three different themes
and a coda:
B
B
Coda
The main theme (A) is an old Cajun folk tune. (See Symphony
Stories.) The three other parts of the Suite (not to be played
at the children's concert) will be interesting to listen to
in your classroom: I Pastoral (The Bayou and the Marsh Buggy);
III Passacaglia (Robbing the Alligator's Nest); IV Fugue
(Boy Fights Alligator.)
- 21 -
MORE ABOUT VIRGIL THOMSON
1. Virgil Thomson is recognized not only as a composer, but as
one of America's greatest music critics.
2. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on November 25, 1896.
3. His father was a post office administrator.
4. As a young child Virgil practiced on an upright piano which
was kept in the parlor.
5. He took piano lessons with his cousin, then later studied
with the best piano teacher in Kansas City.
6. He was graduated from Harvard in 1922.
7. While in college he supported himself by accompanying
singers, playing the piano in theatres, and playing a
church organ.
8. After a year in Paris, studying with Nadia Boulanger, he
returned to Harvard as an assistant instructor.
9. From 1925 - 1932 he lived in Paris where he met the
American poet, Gertrude Stein.
10. In collaboration with Gertrude Stein, Virgil Thomas wrote
the music for the opera, Four Saints in Three Acts . Gertrude
Stein's words in the libretto proved to be a controversial
topic of conversation in the early thirties. It was
good publicity for both collaborators.
11. The opera, with an all Negro cast, was successfully
produced in Hartford, Connecticut, New York and Chicago.
12. In 1940 Virgil Thomson became music critic of the New
York Herald Tribune, succeeding Lawrence Gilman.
13. He travels a great deal, sending in articles to the Tribune
from places all over the world.
14. He has written several books, and in addition has
composed operas, works for orchestra and music for films,
including The River and The Plough That Broke the Plains .
15. Virgil Thomson is at present living in New York.
SUGGESTED READING :
BOOKS
Thomson, Virgil
Thomson, Virgil
VIRGIL THOMSON Knopf, 1966
Contains interesting photographs
of Thomson and contemporaries,
also correspondence with Gertrude
Stein. A brilliantly written autobiography
AMERICAN MUSIC SINCE 1910 Holt, 1971
- 22 -
SUITE NO. 2 for Small Orchestras
Marche
Valse
Polka
Galop
Igor Stravinsky
1882-1971
Recording :
Columbia M
31729
Stravinsky's Suite No. 2 for Small Children was composed in
1915 in Morges . He wrote the Polka , March and Valse first and
the Galop was added later. Stravinsky himself explains that
the music is a caricature, and not to be taken seriously.
"The Polka" says Stravinsky, "is a caricature of Diaghilev,
whom I had seen as a circus animal trainer cracking a long
whip." The simplicity of the music, especially of the bass
part, was to make fun of Diaghilev' s limited piano technic.
Stravinsky played the Polka to Diaghilev and Alfred Casella
in a hotel room in Milan. Both men were astonished at the
thin orchestration which came as a shock after the tremendous
score of the Sacre du Printemps . Neither realized at the time
that Stravinsky was going into a new period of "neo-classicism. "
The Valse was written to pay tribute to Erik Satie, whom
Stravinsky admired and loved. He called it a little ice
cream wagon waltz. The other pieces he composed as music
lessons for his two children, Theodore and Mike. The Galop is
caricature of the St. Petersburg Folies Bergeres . When Ravel
first heard it he thought it should be played faster - like
a French Can-can.
The instrumentation of the Suite includes 2 flutes, piccolo,
oboe, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, horn in F, trumpet in C, trombone,
tuba, percussion instruments (big drum, tenor drum, cymbals)
piano and strings.
The strong rhythmic elements of the music will probably offer
children opportunities to make up original movement, to add
percussion instruments, perhaps to make "crazy" costumes or
designs. After hearing the music a number of times let
them discuss the music, how it makes them feel, and offer
their ideas.
- 23 -
MORE ABOUT IGOR STRAVINSKY
1. Igor Stravinsky heard a great deal of music as he was
growing up.
2. His father was a well-known bass singer at the Imperial
Opera.
3. When Igor was nine years old he was given piano lessons;
he liked to practice, but he detested his school studies.
4. His parents insisted on his getting a good education, and
they sent him off to the University of St. Petersburg to
to study law.
5. He really had no interest in becoming a lawyer, but he
completed his course of study in 1905.
6. A year later Igor and his cousin, Catherine, were married.
She knew how much he loved music, and encouraged him
to give up law and spend all his time learning to be a
composer.
7. This was the beginning of a wonderful musical life, and
a happy marriage.
8. The Stravinskys had four children: two boys and two girls
Igor was a devoted father and took time to be with them,
play with them and enjoy them.
9. Stravinsky was fortunate to have the famous teacher of
orchestration, Rimsky-Korsakof f , who recognized his genius
It was through Rimsky-Korsakof f that he met Sergei
Diaghilev, director of the Russian Ballet.
10. Diaghilev gave him commissions for three ballets; The
Firebird , Petrouchka , and The Rite of Spring . His fame
began with the Russian ballet, although he wrote many
more significant works.
11. After the Revolution, the Stravinsky family lived in
France and in Switzerland.
12. When Harvard University invited him to give a series of
lectures, Stravinsky came to the United States, and
later became a United States citizen.
13. He and his second wife, Vera, lived in Hollywood, where
they had a beautiful home and entertained many visitors.
14. Stravinsky's son, Soulima, became a fine pianist. His
older son, Theodore, and his daughter, Melina, were both
talented in art.
- 24 -
BOOKS
Craft , Robert
Libman, Lillian
STRAVINSKY
AND MUSIC AT THE CLOSE:
Stravinsky's Last years
Stravinsky, Theodore CATHERINE AND IGOR STRAVINSKY
Many photographs of the family
Knopf, 1972
Norton, 1972
Boosey & Hawkes ,
1975
FOR YOUNG READERS
Debrin, Arnold
Young, Percy M.
Posell, Elsa Z
IGOR STRAVINSKY: HIS LIFE
AND TIMES
STRAVINSKY
RUSSIAN COMPOSERS
Stravinsky - page 100
Crowell, 1969
D. White, 1970
Houghton, 1967
- 25 -
FINGER PAINTING
FINGER PAINTING, unlike painting with brushes, furnishes a simple,
direct way of extending the child's listening experiences. The
medium is not demanding, and it offers a high degree of tactile
satisfaction. To be successful with a group of children, the
situation must be carefully prepared in advance.
MATERIALS NECESSARY FOR FINGER PAINTING
Smooth surfaced tables (enamel, masonite, linoleum tops
or hardwood) of height comfortable for child to stand and
reach the entire area of the paper.
Finger paints of good quality. (Not made of starch or other
substitutes). Preferably buy the original Ruth Shaw finger
paints prepared by Binney & Smith, from Southern School
Supply, Raleigh, North Carolina. Colors: Black, red, blue
and green.
Other materials needed: some newspaper, a dipping pan,
glazed finger paint paper, a sprinkling can, a pail to wash
in, a pencil, tongue depressors, paper towels, old shirts or
aprons, absorbent cloths, a tablespoon, and an electric
iron .
SUGGESTIONS FOR USING WITH MUSIC: Let everyone experiment
with the paint and paper for some time before introducing
music. Then listen to the recording once or twice before
beginning to paint. Always observe this rule:
START AND STOP WITH THE MUSIC
STEPS IN FINGER PAINTING
1. Roll sleeves above elbow, and put on apron.
2. Put folded sheet of newspaper on floor to receive finished
painting.
3. Half fill pail of cool water, placing near it 2 absorbent
cloths for cleaning up.
4. Have ready a pan of water 4" by 17" (or cafeteria tray) for
submerging paper.
5. Place open jars on supply table along with tongue
depressors for easy access.
6. Write name and date on rough or matte side of paper.
7. Roll paper in small cylinder and submerge in dripping
pan. Unroll, pulling under, up and out of water until
both sides of sheet are thoroughly wet.
- 26 -
8. Lay wet sheet on table and smooth out air bubbles and
wrinkles .
9. Take jar of chosen color to table with tablespoon and
depressor.
10. Put 3 level tablespoons of finger paint in center of paper.
11. Replace jar of paint on supply table.
12. Mash paint with palm of hand until it is smooth and soft.
13. Sprinkle with water and spread over entire page.
14. Add sprinkle of water now and then to keep moist until
painting is finished.
15. Wash arms and hands before removing the painting.
16. Lift paper carefully at upper right corner until sheet is
loosened from table.
17. Carry, spread between 2 hands, and lay on newspaper to dry.
18. Clean up finger paints from table, spoons, tongue depressors
19. Return jar lids and jars to storage shelf.
20. Empty pans of water and dry thoroughly to avoid rust.
21. Later, when painting is dry, press it with a warm iron on
matte side.
-27-
MOVEMENT AND MUS1G
Much of children's body movement comes from an innate necessity to
move and a love of movement for its own sake. Joan Russell, a
leading authority on Modern Dance Education, says: "The child
needs to experience dance which grows directly from his personal
movement expression." She is emphatic in stating that dances
which would involve the child in memorizing set steps and
patterns, such as folk dances and square dances, PROPERLY BELONG
TO THE ADULT WORLD.
Read : Creative Dance in the Primary School by Joan Russell
(Praeger, 1965)
SOME TYPES OP FREE MOVEMENT ARE SUMMARIZED BELOW:
Imaginative, creative, or dramatic movement. Children's own
ideas, freely expressed in movement reflect their
observations of the world around them: PEOPLE — ^mother,
father, sister, brother, grandfather, grandmother, doctor,
teacher, baby, friend, king, queen, clown, nurse, and
others. ANIMALS AND INSECTS — dogs, cats, rabbits, birds,
frogs, worms caterpillars, snakes, bees, mosquitoes, horses,
animals of the farm, circus, and zoo. NATURAL PHENOMENA—
rain, snow, wind, heat, cold, seasons, waterfall, mountain,
ocean, river, valley, fog, lightning, thunderstorm, hurricane,
life on a farm, cycle of planting, growing, and harvesting.
MECHANICAL INVENTIONS — trains, boats, airplanes, dump trucks,
electric saws, steam shovels, water wheels, washing
machines, printing presses, typewriters, parts of a clock.
DESIGN AND DIRECTION — circle, straight line, zig-zag, square,
figure eight, triangle, diagonal, up, down, close together,
far apart, backward, forward, over, and under. MOOD OR
QUALITY — sad, gay, angry, sleepy, funny, crazy, peaceful,
fat, thin, big, little, smooth, jerky, noisy, quiet.
Movement expressing musical content and form: PATTERN — notes
of long and short duration, repetitive patterns, like and
unlike rhythmic and melodic patterns. PITCH — melodic rise
and fall, high and low. TEMPO— fast , slow, gradually faster
and slower. DYNAMICS — loud, soft , gradually louder or
softer. METER, PULSE, BEAT. ACCENT. PHRASING — like and
unlike phrases, repeated phrases. MUSICAL FORM — A B, ABA,
ABC, A A B B, etc.; folk song with refrain, simple rondo
form, theme with variations.
A few suggestions for movement procedures follow: 1) Move
tables and chairs aside. Children may help. 2) Have
children take off their shoes and socks whenever possible.
Contact of bare feet on the floor is better for "feeling"
the rhythm. With shoes off children can hear the music
better, but sneakers or rhythm sandals may be used. 3)
Encourage, but do not force any child to participate until
- 28 -
he is ready. Let him watch the others. 4) Suggest using
all the floor space, and dancing way out "to the edges."
5) Work with a small group at a time so that the children
can keep as much space as possible between them and avoid
bumping into each other. 6) Use music that is familiar
to the children before they move to it.
- 29
INSTRUMENTS
QP THE ORCHESTRA
BEFORE YOU START LISTENING to the recordings on the Children's
Concert Program, you may want to teach (or review) the
instruments of the orchestra. There are books, filmstrips,
pictures and films available in most Elementary School libraries
Check with your librarian to discover your local resources.
BRING IN LIVE PLAYERS to demonstrate their instruments whenever
this is possible. Children learn more from a live demonstration
than from reading about the instruments or looking at pictures.
RECORDINGS, FILMSTRIPS, AND FILMS
Leonard Bernstein ' s Young
People r s Concerts
Music Spotlight Series
I nstruments of the
Orchestra
Meet the Instruments
Book with recordings
(Simon &
Schuster)
Percussion, Brass, Key-
board, Woodwinds - Film- (Eye Gate)
strip with recording
I nstruments of the
Orchestra
Excellent recordings of
all the instruments,
with teacher's guide.
Illustrations
Recordings and film-
strips are correlated.
Large color charts of
all the orchestral
instruments also
available.
6 filmstrips, 6
recordings
Historical approach
appealing to upper
grades
(RCA LES-6000)
( Bowmar )
(Jam Handy -
Scott
Holyoke, Mass
01040)
For films about the orchestra and its instruments, order
catalog from: Bureau of Audio-Visual Education
University of North Carolina
Extension Division
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514
BOOKS
All About the Symphony
Orchestra by Dorothy
Berliner Commins
Illustrated with
photographs & line
drawings
(Random House)
1961
- 30 -
BOOKS
Let's Learn About the Illustrated by Anne (Harvey House, Inc.)
Orchestra by Carla Greene Lewis 1967
What Makes an Orchestra An excellent book —
by Jan Balet an old favorite (Oxford University
Press)
An Introduction to the A Big Golden Book (Golden Press)
Instruments of the Illustrations by Alice 1962
Orchestra by Jane Bunche & Martin Provensen
- 31 -
S0URCES QP INSTRUMENTS
THE WORLD OF PERIPOLE
Browns Mills, New Jersey
08015
RHYTHM BAND, Inc.
Post Office Box 126
Fort Worth, Texas
76101
LYONS INSTRUMENT COMPANY
530 Riverview Avenue
Elkhart, Indiana
46514
PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS
following are from Lyons Instrument
Company :
Current Price
(Sub:
iect to
change)
5" Triangle with striker
No.
4707
$
.65
7" Tambourine
No.
4789
3.35
Rhythm Sticks, assorted colors,
pair
No.
4734
.20
Rhythm Sticks, 1 notched, 1
plain
No.
4735
.30
7" Brass Cymbals with knobs,
pair
No.
4724
2.60
Claves - pair
No.
4773
1.15
Set of 4 Finger Cymbals
No.
4727
3.90
Castanets on handle
No.
4780
3.33
Set of two Sand Blocks
No.
4766
.90
The following are from the World of Peripole
Oriental Tom-Toms-Medium
Oriental Tom-Toms-Large
5" Triangle with striker
7" Tambourine, 7 pr. jingles
Smooth Rhythm Sticks, red ename
Rhythm Sticks, 1 smooth, 1 flut
7" Brass Cymbals with knobs
Hand Painted Claves
Large Rosewood Claves
Deluxe Mahogany Claves
Small Rosewood Claves
Medium Twin Bongos
Gourd Maracas
Set of four Finger Cymbals
Castanets on handle
Set of two Sand Blocks
Set of two Jumbo Sand Blocks
No.
P3022
6.95
No.
P3023
9.50
No.
P1155
.65
No.
P3107
5.00
1 No.
P2051
.50
ed No.
P2053
.55
No.
P2575
5.25
No.
P2577
2.25
No.
V2601
3.40
No.
P2578
3.95
No.
V2602
2.60
No.
P3901
9.95
No.
P3501
2.25
No.
P2501
4.50
No.
P2156
3.95
No.
P2002
.90
No.
P2001
1.30
- 32 -
The following may be ordered from Lyons or from the manufacturer,
Ludwig Industries
1728 North Damen Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60647
Bell Boy (Jingle bells on a flat handle)
$1.00
The following are from Rhythm Band, Inc
Chinese Tom-Tom, 10'* x 4" deep
with mallet
5" Triangle with striker and holder
7" Tambourine, 6 pair jingles
Rhythm Sticks, 1 fluted, 1 plain
Rhythm Sticks, 2 plain
7" Brass Cymbals with knobs, pair
Pair Hardwood Claves
Pair Deluxe Rosewood Claves
Medium Twin Bongos
Medium Maracas, colored wood
Set of 4 Brass Finger Cymbals
Castanet on handle
Jumbo Sand Blocks, pair
Send for Catalogs
Current
Price
(Subject to
change)
No.
RB-1115X
$8.75
No.
RB-749
.95
No.
RB-925
3.50
No.
RB-767
.32
No.
RB-768
.26
No.
RB-732
3.65
No.
RB-723
1.30
No.
RB-724
2.05
No.
RB-1302
6.95
No.
RB-1203
2.95
No.
RB-784
2.50
No.
RB-858
.80
No.
RB-753
.90
MELODY
INSTRUMENTS
Color Xylophones stamped with
numbers and letters, 8 notes, key
of C.
Current
Price
(Subject to
change)
$12.95 Doz.
Order by dozen from:
Childhood Interests, Inc.
Roselle Park, New Jersey
Zim-Gar Bells - 20 notes, chromatic
Order from:
7.50
George M. Froelich, Inc
130 Eastern Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland
- 33
Monarch Deluxe Chromatic Bells No. 1420-C 20.00
Order from Lyons Instrument Co.
(Address under Sources of
Instruments)
The following are from the World of Peripole:
"Royal" Song Bells - Octave No. P5080 5.00
diatonic (Quantities of 6
or more $4.00 each)
"Royal" Song Bells - 20 note No. P5202 14.50
chromatic (Quantities of 6
or more $13.50 each)
With steel-enforced fibre case
The following are from Rhythm Band, Inc.:
The Artist, Jr. Resonator Bells No. RB2121 39.50
20 notes, 1-1/2 octaves,
beginning with middle C
In polyvinyl case
8 note Diatonic Bell Set, No. RB-2201 5.50
Middle C to one octave above
Colorful Bell Set, good for K-3 No. RB-2305 3.95
grades, C above Middle C to C
Diatonic, each note a different
color
Add-a-Note-8 notes with No. RB-2520 5.95
additional F# and B^ 3 , with two
mallets
WIND INSTRUMENTS
Small Wind Instruments
The following are from Lyons Instrument Co.:
Tonettes (Specify black or red) .80
Tonette Case No. T-24 .20
Flutophones (Specify black or
white or red) .80
Flutophone case No. 4692
The following are from the World of Peripole:
Tonettes (Specify black, red, No. P1322 .80
blue, yellow, green, white)
- 34 -
No.
RB-1801
.85
No.
RB-1802
.85
9.48
110.00
Song Flutes (Specify black, No. P1320 .80
ivory, yellow, red)
Quantity prices on tonettes
& song flutes per dozen .70
per gross .60
over 500 .50
Note: Mouthpieces may be
sterilized with Zepharin
chloride, available at any
drug store. Allow the
mouthpiece to remain in the
solution for several
minutes, then rinse in
water .
The following are from Rhythm Band, Inc.:
Tonettes (Specify color)
Black with Bell
Red with Bell
per dozen
per gross
Instruction book for tonette
and small winds:
Melody Fun by Forrest Buchtel No. RB-1809
Recorders
Recorders - Soprano, C - Applewood 3.95
(Imported from Germany
Order from: Burritt Music Co.
Attention: Mr. Fred Redente
23 Main Street
New Britain, Conn.
Instruction Book:
First Tunes for Tonette or 1.50
Soprano Recorder by Elizabeth
Scheinwold (Kalmus).
Order from Burritt Music Co.
35 -
No.
P1305
2.50
No.
P1306
2.75
No.
1307
2.95
The following are from Lyons Instrument Co.:
Kitchlng Soprano Recorder No. NK-700 2.20
(with case)
Dolmetsch Soprano Recorder No. 8321 2.76
New "Cambridge" Soprano No. R50 1.70
Recorder
Check the catalog for wood recorders
imported from Germany - C
Soprano, F. Alto, C Tenor, F
Bass
The following are from the World of Peripole:
Pearwood Recorders, Key of C:
"Student"
"Standard"
"Deluxe"
The following are from Rhythm Band, Inc. :
Renaissance Soprano Recorders No. RB-1780 1.75
(Baroque fingering)
Renaissance Soprano Recorders No. RB-1780 G 1.75
(German fingering)
Quilted vinyl bag for Soprano No. RB-1784 .45
Recorder
HARMONY INSTRUMENTS
The following is from Lyons Instrument
Co:
The "Original" Autoharp-American 45.15
Made by Oscar Schmidt Model L-12
12 Bar (G minor, B flat, A sev. ,
D min. , F, E sev. ,
C sev., G sev., A minor,
C, D sev. , G)
15 Bar (Basic twelve chords plus 50.80
E flat, F sev., D) L-15 EBH
- 36 -
The following is from the World of Peripole:
Chromaharp - 12 bar N
15 bar
Autoharp Carrying Case
The following is from Rhythm Band, Inc.:
Chromaharp - 12 bar
15 bar
Economy Carrying Case
5-chord MiniHarp _ C,F,B b ,
G 7 and C 7
Favorite Songs for the MiniHarp
by Ken Harris
No.
P1212
54
95
No.
P1215
59
95
No.
P1230
15
95
No.
RB1530
54
95
No.
RB1545
59
50
No.
RB1509
7
95
No.
RB1505
29
95
No.
RB7004
2
95
- 37
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